Themes in Literature

What is a theme?

• Themes can be found everywhere: literature, stories, art, movies etc…

• The theme of a fable is its moral.• The theme of a parable is its teaching. • The theme of a piece of literature is its

view about life and how people behave.

Theme & Meaning

Theme is the… • underlying meaning of the text (story, poem, etc.) • a universal truth, • a significant statement the text conveys about

society, human nature, or the human condition.

Theme = idea

The theme of a literary work is its underlying central idea or the generalization it communicates about life.

At times the author's theme may not confirm or agree with your own beliefs.

Even then, if skillfully written, the work will still have a theme that illuminates some aspects of true human experience.

The author's task is to communicate on a common ground with the reader. Although the particulars of your experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both you and the writer are seeking.

An understanding of theme is dependent upon one's previous experience of life and literature.

At the same time, theme in literature can enlarge one's understanding of life.

Be aware that the theme never completely explains the story.

It is simply one of the elements that make up the whole. Some short stories have secondary themes as well.

Common Literary Themes

(Themes repeated in many works)

1. The quest for immortality

“Stranger, stop and cast an eye.As you are now, so once was I.As I am now, so you shall be,Prepare for death and follow me.”

2. The individual’s relationship and obligation to society.

3. The individual’s inward journey to understand himself or herself/identity.

4. How justice and injustice are decided

5. The individual as hero; what it means to be a hero or anti-hero.

6. What it means to be a “survivor.”

7. The individual’s experience of alienation

and despair

8. What tomorrow’s world holds for us …

aka: “The Future”

9. Love: Topics/Effects Marriage Romance Platonic or

companionate love Altruistic love Love of Country Admiration Possessiveness Intense dependency

Logical-sensible love

Self-centered love Game-Playing Unrequited love Godly love Familial love Infatuation Erotic love Jealousy

Creativity provides many possibilities

• Think about these themes—what would you add as an important theme often expressed in creative writing?

• What theme would you most like to explore?